Ebay to mull Skype sale if synergies not strong: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) - EBay (EBAY.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Inc will think about selling its Skype unit at the end of the year if it cannot find ways to make the Internet phone service aid its main online auction business, the Financial Times reported.
EBay's Chief Executive John Donahoe was quoted in an FT interview as saying: "If the synergies are strong, we'll keep it in our portfolio. If not, we'll reassess it."
The company had intended for the Skype acquisition to bolster its online business through call-billing payment tie-ins between Skype and eBay's PayPal online payments service, but Skype did not live up to expectations.
Donahue brushed aside speculation that eBay should also consider selling its PayPal service to prop up its stock value, the FT reported.
EBay representatives were not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Aarthi Sivaraman; Editing by Jason Neely)
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved
Help us advance this story. Provide relevant links or share your insights using our comment box. Please be considerate and help us by reporting any abuse you find. Reuters will delete comments that don't meet community standards.





